The field of this invention is protective goggles for protecting the wearer from chemical splash and other deleterious materials.
The purpose of goggles is to protect the eye region of the wearer from outside elements. For example, in the field of sports, such outside elements may be snow for the skier or simply dust for the motorcyclist. Goggles are also heavily used in industry where the purpose of the goggles is to protect against the splash of chemical or other deleterious liquids.
For the purposes of describing prior art, goggles may be classified into three groups: goggles without ventilation; goggles with openings for ventilation; and, goggles with shielded openings to at least in part prevent the entry of deleterious materials such as chemical splash into the protected eye region of the wearer. The protective goggle of this invention is particularly directed to the latter category of goggles.
There are a substantial number of patents which disclose goggles of various types and styles, but having no ventilation openings. A list of such goggles in chronological order are as follows: U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 138,545; Des. 140,312; 2,589,575; Des. 171,762; 2,688,135; 2,706,815; Des 175,015; Des. 177,581; 2,770,807; Des. 182,463; Des. 186,792; Des. 207,127; Des. 207,796; Des. 214,258; 3,484,156; 3,505,680; and, Des. 232,983. This list of patents directed to goggles without ventilation means is not exhaustive.
The second group of patents relates to goggles having exposed ventilation openings in various configurations and sizes: U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 136,379; 2,368,750; Des. 140,805; Des. 142,221; 2,406,998; 2,422,534; 2,573,722; Des. 166,231; Des. 166,257; 2,598,265; 2,603,785; 2,608,687; 2,617,100; Des. 168,936; Des. 168,988; 2,645,775; 2,680,846; 2,680,882; Des. 176,309; 2,773,260; Des. 180,892; Des. 181,456; 2,877,462; 2,903,700; 2,914,770; 2,936,459; 2,979,728; 3,012,248; Des. 204,099; 3,274,614; 3,298,031; 3,368,221; 3,395,406; 3,517,393; 3,591,864; Des. 223,983; 3,718,937; 3,896,496; 3,931,646; and, Des. 242,666. This list of patents in this second category is not exhaustive.
The third category, goggles with shields, include U.S. Pat. No. 3,638,240 of Militello. The Militello patent '240 discloses vented goggles wherein the vent structure is made of a molded plastic and includes an oblong opening in the goggle plastic frame having a surrounding wall extending outwardly from the frame together with an oblong plastic cap which mounts over the wall in sealing engagement therewith. The plastic cap has an opening along the lower part of its rear wall whereby air may pass through the cap opening and over the outwardly extending wall of the frame and enter through the frame opening. The rear opening disclosed in the Militello patent prevents at least to some extent splatter or spray material entering the space behind the lens while still allowing air circulation.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,000,011 of Sterne et al. discloses sets of openings in a safety goggle frame wherein each opening is surrounded by an outwardly directed flange to provide a dam or barrier against flow of moisture into the goggle frame openings. The flange-surrounded openings are covered with a cap or shield to prevent direct entry of undesirable materials into the opening. Therefore, the Sterne patent '011 and the Militello patent '240 disclose very similar concepts.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,877,463 of Watkins discloses a goggle frame having an oblong opening which extends across the entire top of the frame and is covered by an oblong panel having alternately spaced flanges for allowing only indirect entry of air or other fluid into the area of the oblong opening.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,141,172 of Hirschmann discloses a ventilated goggle which includes a tubular base which extends outwardly through an opening in the frame member and has a ventilated cap mounted thereover. The openings for the ventilated cap are indirectly in fluid communication with the actual opening in the tubular base in order to prevent direct fluid transfer from the openings in the ventilating cap through the frame opening. According to the disclosure in the Hirschmann patent, it is contemplated that one of the openings in the ventilating cap may, in addition to providing ventilation, open downwardly for the drainout of liquid which may accidentally enter the cap.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,418,658 of Danico discloses a similar type of circular ventilating cap which is designed to prevent the direct entry of foreign matter through the cap openings into the goggle frame opening over which the cap is mounted. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,081,461; 2,715,223; and, 2,395,297 also disclose ventilation systems that perhaps belong in this third category in that goggle frame openings are at least partly shielded.